1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a wheelbarrow that is easily maneuverable and stable.
2. Background Art
Wheelbarrows have been around for centuries. There are reports of wheelbarrows being used in China during the second century A.D. Wheelbarrows also appear to have existed in Ancient Greece and possibly Rome.
Typically a wheelbarrow consists of a tray or container into which heavy loads are placed. The tray is supported by a single wheel and has two handles which can be used to propel and steer the wheelbarrow.
These traditional wheelbarrows are often difficult to steer or maneuver, particularly over rough ground. Adding a heavy load to one of these wheelbarrows makes it even more difficult to steer. Often, a wheelbarrow may tip over when the user is trying to turn it. If the wheelbarrow is filled with a substance such as a liquid, spilling may occur when the wheelbarrow is pushed over rough ground.
More modern wheelbarrows often have two wheels positioned towards the front of the tray. Using two wheels helps to make the wheelbarrow more stable, though rough terrain is still an issue. However, using two wheels does not make the wheelbarrow easier to steer. In fact, the addition of the second wheel may make the wheelbarrow even harder to steer.
In the past, people have attempted to make wheelbarrows more maneuverable or more stable. The problem is that they never managed to create a wheelbarrow that was both more maneuverable and more stable. The prior art contains many examples such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,492,157 which has a steering mechanism that turns the wheel of the wheelbarrow when a user bends the handle at a hinge. U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,708 is similar in that movement of the wheel or wheels of the wheelbarrow is controlled by the user turning a handle. These wheelbarrows, though more maneuverable, are still unstable on rough terrain.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,934,728 describes a wheelbarrow that has a horizontal pivot point around which the axle rotates in order to compensate for rough terrain. This invention, though it may be more stable, is as hard or harder to steer as a standard wheelbarrow.
Accordingly, what is needed is a wheelbarrow that is stable enough to allow the user to move spillable items while also being easy to steer or maneuver.